Apparatus for producing hydrochloric acid.



L. SCHERBEL.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING HYDROCHLORIC ACID. APPLICATION FILED 1AN.20,1915.

Patented May 23, l1916..

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

L. SCHERBEI.. APPARATUS FORl PRODUCING HYDROCHLORIC ACID.

APPLICATION FILED IAN-20, 1915- i PatentedIMayQS, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

tti

APPARATUS FUR PRODUCING- HYDROCHLORIC ACID.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, imdb.

Application lcd January 20, 1915. Serial No. 3,399.

To all whom t may concern:

B it known that l, LUDWIG SGHERBEL, a subject of the Emperor ofnGermany, and residing at Bussi, Province of Aquila, italy, have invented certain new and -useful limprovements in Apparatus `for Producing Hydrochloric Acid, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to prepare by direct synthesis from chlorin and hydrogen, hydrochloric acid in the form of a gas either pure and concentrated or diluted by inactive gases, or in the form of an aqueous solution of any desired concentration and degree of purity.

The process of producing hydrochloric acid by direct synthesis from its constituent elements, is in theory 'well known in chemistry and consists, of course, in establishing a combustion between the two elements or substantially'in burning chlorin in an atmosphere of hydrogen or hydrogen in an atmosphere of chlorin. ln practice, however, Y for commercially manufacturing large quantities of hydrochloric acid, the 'synthesis of the elements chlorin and hydrogen o'ers many diiculties on account of the danger of explosion and also because it is not easy to secure a complete combustion. Various methods have been proposed for overcoming these objections. According to some modes the two gases are mixed be ore the combustion by passing them through tubes shaped like an inverted` "Y, or through concentric tubes, and they are then ignited by an electric spark, while other modes make it an imperative condition that the chlorin be burnt in an excess of hydrogen or to carry out the combustion in the presence of heated powdered, charcoal. All these modes however are unsuitable in practice.

According to thisinvention, all the 4diculties and dangers ofthe synthetic production of chlorin and hydrogen are avoided by burning chlorin in an atmosphere of hydrogen or hydrogen in an atmosphere of chlorin in the manner of an ordinary dame, for example a gas ame, burning in air, care being taken only continuously and expeditiously to drawoif the gaseous hydrochloric acid produced and the other gases which may accompany it, so that one of the gases be completely burnt in the atmosphere of the other. This result is obtained substantially by drawing o the gases from the burner, viz. by creating therein a vacuum by means of some suitable device, for example,

by a centrifugal aspirator vor by a pump with acid proof liquid plungers, and by controlling the quantity of gases to be burnt by any suitable known means, as by a meter, so that there may never be in the burner or in the absorption apparatus an explosive mlxture of gases.`

The invention may of course be realized in a varlety oftypes of burners, but the preferred construction, which has given most satisfactory results, is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the burner, p artly insection. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectlon; and Fig. 3 is a sectional plan through the nozzles of the burner, these two figures being drawn on an enlarged scale.

' llhe burner shown in the drawing, consists essentially Vof a cylindrical body 1 of refractory material provided with a number of sight-holes 2 for observing the flames and any manipulation which may be necessary.

rllhese sight-holes are arranged in cupshaped sleeves or ianges maden one piece with the cylinder 1, and are closed by a plate 10 of transparent quartz, fastened in the sleeve by a joint of incombustible material, such as asbestos.' The cylinder is sur- 'mounted by a dome 11, carrying the flange 13 for fastening the outlet pipe 12 for the combustion ases. The cylinder is closed at the bottom y a plate 9 ofrrefractory material'and of suitable thickness, which is hammered in and on which rest the co-axial circular boxes 6 and 5 or similar devices. llnto the center of the bottom of the central box enters the inlet tube 3 for one of the gases (for example, hydrogen), which extends through the plate 9, and from the top of this box springs a series of nozzles 8, arranged -on the circumference of a circle.

The outer box 5, which is co-axial with the' box 6, carries laterally a tube 4 extending through the cylinder 1 at 14:, and serving for admitting the other gas (for example, chlorin). This box carries a series of burners first burners; the number of burners 'I ex- -ceeds that of burners 8, and they 'extend to a higher level; and are provided with a .beveled upper surface. Both the boxes and the 'nozzles may be given any other suitable shape, without altering the inventlon. For example, the number of crowns of nozzles may be increased by arranging on each of 7 arranged concentrically with the v i.. so

fthrough'the absorption battery (not shown) of combustionv andthe fuel, and alsol ythev working of the-burner with either a hydr gen flameI or a chloriniiamq according Y to Awhether the one or the other of the two gases `is in excess, without the gases'mixing -before the combustion.

series, instead of one single series.

. Tliecombustion' is started by-ignitin'g the hydrogenin an atmosphere of air, whereafter a vacuum is created in the burner andthe chlorin is injected. The combustion is lcontrolled in' any-suitable way, for

example by simplywatching the appearance of the flame through the sightfholes 2'.- vThe arrangement ofthe Hames'permitsthe most perfect contact between tli/ supporter :takes place thus in the mannerofan ordithe combustion proceeds, thevacuum in the nary iame in an atmosphere of air. While burner is continuously maintained,- and the gas produced by the con'ibustion-continu'l ously removed, This continual removal of the gas produced by the combustion per- .mits the output of a very large quantity of" l acidwithout danger of the i ture of the'reaction causing the urner to beexcessivelyheated. The temperature of the `flame -may be'kept lowerby introducing into the burner chlorin diluted with air or with inactive gases, instead of pure'chlorin'.

h tempera- `Theseare features of capital importance,

. small output. l'

as they permit of manufacture on an indus.

'trial' scale which is not the case with simi-y lar known procees adapted for only a f The process also removes all danger. of

explosion, because in case the supply of one l4o j ving happens but the extinction of kthe flames, 'r1 while the rapid'passage vof the other gas of the gases should unexpectedly fail, noth cools 'the burner, so that. no explosion can 'occur when the gas, which has been failing, 45 Y isjsupplied a ain at once;

, vvvIt is advisa le to subject thehydrochloric acid produced' to lan. vintense coo ing before `its arrival in the absorption apparatus -or, in

'I the aspirator, so that the temperature of the 50 asis maintained at 40.-C., for example, `ycauslng 1t lto pass through serpentine coolers or coolingtowers of sandstone cooled by means of water or saline'solutions, which i 1s especially useful Vwhen the hydrochloric'` .55, acidphas been diluted and aqueous vapor is formed, which may thus be condensed;-

The purity of uw hydrochloric wieda# pends ofcourse on the nature ofthe mate the boxes' and 6 two or Vmore concentricv The combustion stone, and on the purity of the 'gases (chlorin and hydrogen) employed. 'As there are.

no technical diiiculties in obtaining these elements in the requiredcondition of purity and'concentration, and as the molecular pro-` portion of the two 'elementsl ma be controlled, nothing prevents the pr uction of a hydrochloric acid of any desired degree of purity and concentration.- 'It is also possible to removejthe waterand to obtain pure and dry gaseous hydrochloric acid by asuitabletreatment, for instance by desic- ,cating the products of the combustion behydrochloric acidfthe combination with a combustionfchamber andan outlet at the f upper portion thereof for conducting away Aproducts of combustion, of aburner appa-` ratusjlocated atthe lowenportion of the combustion chamber, said apparatus includ- .inga central yhollow chamber, an inlet. lead-y ing into said'xchamber, al plurality of re movable burn r tipsy located at the uper portion of said chamber and arrange in ,circular formation, a hollow annular chamber surrounding the central chamber, an inlet leading into said annular chamber, a plurality of jets located onthe upper surface I of the annular chamber, said jets being disposed in circular formation and concentric with relation to the aforesaid burner tips, all of/saidjets .having thein upper surfaces beveled with said 'surfacesdirected toward the center o f theburner tips.

In testimony whereof I have name in theA presence ofA two subscribing witnesses the 19th day of December, 19 14.

LUDWIG scnniunn..l

Witnesses: A GUs'rAv TAHDEN, CoRnLno FORDHAM.

signed my i .rials -of which the apparatus is made which must be such as not to give off impurities, 1 -for example, quartz, porcelain, white sand- 

